Puerto Rico sees 900 chikungunya cases last week, total tops 10,000

The number of autochthonous, or locally transmitted chikungunya cases in Puerto Rico increased by 895 during the week ending Oct. 3, according to data released by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Aedes aegypti image/CDC

The number of suspected and confirmed chikungunya cases by local transmission climbed to 10,341 total the health agency noted. This is up from 9,446 cases the week prior.

The total number of locally acquired chikungunya cases in the Western hemisphere has topped 750,000 since first seen last December on the island of St. Martin.

Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes such as Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. It can cause high fever, join and muscle pain, and headache. Chikungunya does not often result in death, but the joint pain may last for months or years and may become a cause of chronic pain and disability. There is no specific treatment for chikungunya infection, nor any vaccine to prevent it. Pending the development of a new vaccine, the only effective means of prevention is to protect individuals against mosquito bites. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page